ARCHIVE - 2014 Call for Projects

This call for projects is now closed. Six project were selected among the sixteen projects submitted. The list of grant recipients is available in the right column.

The Indo-Swiss joint research programme in the Social Sciences is jointly organised by the Indian Council for Social Science Research (ICSSR) and by the University of Lausanne as Associate Leading House of the Indo-Swiss Joint Research Programme (ISJRP) financed by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI).

The Indo-Swiss Joint Research Programme in the Social Sciences is designed to encourage and initiate research collaborations between Swiss and Indian social scientists on topics of mutual interests with the aim to intensify interaction between scholars and research institutions of the two countries as to promote sustainable bilateral collaboration.

The Seed Money Grants (SMG) are designed to fund travel and research expenses of researchers in the social sciences between Switzerland and India.

The theme of the call for projects is related to well-being along at least one of the following four major axes:

1. The study of concepts of well-being as a multidimensional conception and its (potential) application in India and/or Switzerland, as an extension or alternative to the concept of (income) poverty and as related to notions of vulnerability, precariousness, etc. Search for quantifiable indicators and measurements.
2. Research on factors and processes determining wellbeing, including individual and group-based inequalities, non-inclusive development, social exclusion and discrimination of particular groups of society, political institutions such as federalism and participatory/direct democracy, economic instability and unemployment, health, urbanization, environmental risks and degradation.
3. Analysis of public policy and its effects on well-being in India and/or Switzerland, including social protection and security policies and schemes, provisions of the welfare state. Studies may include the social histories of public policies, their current modifications and challenges.
4. Projects on flows and linkages between India and Switzerland, for example, migration, tourism, capital, commodity and resource flows, and their implications for wellbeing of different social groups in the two countries.

Projects can be comparative in a wide, heuristic, sense (e.g. learning from the other country’s experience to develop novel research questions, refine and rethink social categories in one of the countries) or in a more narrow, analytical, sense (comparison between India and Switzerland, or within the countries).

The Seed Money Grants can include up to two senior researchers from each side. In addition, PhD students and scientific collaborators can take part in the project if connected to the Swiss or to the Indian applicant. The maximal amount on the Swiss side is CHF 30,000 per project.

Projects must start before June 1st, 2015 and can last up to 24 months.

This call is now closed.

Details of the 2014 Call for Projects are available in the documents below.

2014 Call for projects  (134 Ko)

Guidelines for visits  (115 Ko)

Application form  (46 Ko)

For questions please contact:

Swiss programme office

Mr Marc Pilloud, Deputy Head of International Relations
University of Lausanne
Tel.: +41 (0)21 692 20 23

Indian Scientists are requested to contact ICSSR:

Indian programme office

Dr S.M. Verma, Assistant Director (ICS)
Indian Council for Social Science Research
Tel: +91-11-26741856, 26742832